Peeling machine



Dec. 2, 1952 E. H. LuPToN.

FEELING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 JNVENTOR. E LME R H. LUPTUN YM m.

A 7' TOR/VE Y Patented Dec. 2, 1952 PEELING MACHINE Elmer H. Lupton, Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Sinclair-Scott Company of Baltimore City, a corporation of Maryland Application August 5, 1950, Serial No. 177,840

2 Claims.

This invention relates to kitchen equipment and more particularly to paring machines for removing the outer skin of vegetables, fruits and the like.

This invention is an improvement of parers such as is described in U. S. Patent 331,451 and has for its object to make it a more effective device,`safer to use and of more attractive appearance. Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vegetable or fruit peeler or parer that will be compact, easy to keep clean and sanitary and capable of being manufactured economically. A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vegetable or fruit parer that will be portable and with its mechanism covered so the user will be protected from injury. An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vegetable or fruit parer that can be adjusted to suit various thicknesses of skin, to be removed by it.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as it is more fully described.

For a more comprehensive understanding of the invention and the objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which in conjunction with the following description illustrate a particular form of the invention, by way of example, while the claims emphasize the scope thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a peeling machine embodying this invention, with parts broken away to show its inner construction;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure l, with parts broken away to show its inner construction;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the cam used to bring the cutter in and out of contact with the product being peeled;

Figure 5 is a typical side sectional view of the cutter and yoke;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the guard adjuster;

Figure 'l is an edge view of the guard adjuster shown in Fig. 6; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic View showing the movement of the various elements used to operate the device in predetermined sequence.

Similar reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the drawings.

The drawings indicate a parer intended for peeling an apple or similar vegetable item. It consists of a housing or framework I0, which serves to support the mechanism of the device and forms a stable support suitable for use on a table or other flat surface. The framework I0 is of L-form with the base portion I I of open boxlike form covered by a flat horizontal shelf I2 on which the mechanism under the device is supported. This mechanism comprises a pair of meshing spur gears I3 and I4 located under the shelf I2. The gear I3 is the driver and is preferably larger than the gear I4. A bolt I5 holds the gear I3 to the shelf I2 and allows it to rotate thereon in a horizontal plane. A vertical shaft IS attached to the gear I4 passes through the shelf I2 and cam 35 and is supported thereby and acts as a guide for a large gear Il which rotates freely thereon, while the end of the shaft I6 is tightly attached to a small spur gear I8. The gears I1 and I8 are adjacent each other, one above the other, and rotate independently of each other and in opposite directions. A crown gear 23 positioned in a vertical plane, meshes at right angles with the teeth of gear I3 and rotates it as the gear 20 is turned with its horizontal shaft I9 which is journalled in the upright wall 2| of the framework I0. A bracket 42 extends at right angles from the wall 2I and is a part thereof. The crown gear '20 is fitted in a recess 5I in the wall 2l out of contact with the user and is rotated through the use of a handle 22 mounted on a flywheel 38. The horizontal shaft I9 extends inwardly through the wall 2l and has a gear 23 attached to its end to mesh with the teeth of the large gear I'I which it rotates as the handle is turned. The crown gear 20 is meshed with a smaller gear 24 which also operates in the recess 5I and drives a stub shaft 25 to which it is attached. The stub shaft 25 is supported in a bearing 52 in the wall 2| and extends rearwardly and is enlarged at 53 to support a triple armed fork or trident which it rotates. The vegetable to be peeled is placed on the fork or trident and rotated so it will be aligned With a cutter 21 supported in an oscillating yoke '28. The cutter 21 is of a bevelled or frustrum cone shape with a rotatable circular cutting edge 29 operating in a horizontal plane.

28. The cutter 21 is rotated through the shaft 30 and gear 3| which meshes with the spur gear I8. The yoke 28 has a pair of laterally extending arms 32 that journal in bearings 33 affixed to the upper face of the large gear Il. When the yoke 28 oscillates on its arms 32 through a relatively short travel, it tilts the attached gear 3|, but not enough to interfere with the regular meshing of its teeth with those of gear I3 so it will continue to cooperatively function therewith, in all its positions. The gear Il carries the yoke The cutter 21 is formed so it u can be held on a shaft 30 journalled in the yoke ing.

28 around with it in its bearings 33. The yoke 28 is provided with an arm 55 that contacts at predetermined periods of its rotation various surfaces of the cam 35 and moves the yoke and cutter towards r away from the product being peeled in a predetermined manner. This induces the yoke with its cutter to swing through a predetermined angle or'arc. The cam 35 is shown fastened to the bracket' 2 so it will operate the yoke as described. rlhe cam 35, itself consists of a single element with a hole 41 to enable the shaft l to be slid through it. The peripheral contours of the cam (see Fig. 4) enable the cam to be turned around the shaft-to take up 'Various' positions and vary the movement of the yoke and rotating knife to suit the shapes of different vegetables or products to be' peeled on the device. The purpose of oscillating the yoke while it is rotating is to enable the spinning cutter 21' to' approach the product to be peeled at the part nearest the forks and work down towards the oppesite endand as it approachesY center, vto move the cutter 'away from the product until the cutterv isl returned to the starting point. The peeled product is then'removed and replacedwith anotherfto be peeled. YFigure 4 shows the cam 3% used-to control the movement of the yoke and cutter'during the operation of the device. When the armee attached t0 the yoke moves-into the starting' position it is 'gliding over the depressed sur-facepf the cam which keeps'the cutter from-'contacting the face Sii of the wall 2i and holds'4 it in that position until the arm '5 5 drops oithe end 54 which is the starting point for peelunderside of'` the gear l1 has its opposite end bearing Vagainst the arm 55 and holds the cutter in peeling position. When the arm-55 contacts the'tripperedge 51 the yoke and cutter are moved away from the center' of the gear l1 and'out-of peeling contact until the arm reaches the depressed lat surface 55 where the cycle starts over again. The spring is'preferably as shown and provided so its tension can be adjusted through the use of a screw 31 threaded -to t into a tapped hole in the gear I1 and passing down against the spring 38- to increase or decrease the tensionof the arm-Efand-yoke and cutter 21.

The flywheel 38 helps the' device to run srneotherA and also coversthe gear 28. The'operation of the device is performed by placing the product back towards face G of the wall-2l. Thel handle 22 is then turned clockwise and rotates gears` 2U and 24 and trident 2% and the lproduct `to be' 55 reaches theV tripper edge 510i *thelcam and moves the cutter'out-of cutting position ,untilit reaches the starting position where the' peeledA product is removedandv a newone placed on the fork.

The gear at'the Sametime also rotates "the gears I3 and I4, shaft Itr and gearsflii and 3| to turn theV cutter 21. The horizonta-lshaft i9 with its gear 23 meshes with the large'gear l1V which carries the yoke and cutter with it and during its rotation' removes the'peelifrorn the product duringV one-half tsrevolution and the A springI-BS attachedat one endto the...

.50 to be peeled on the forks -26 :when the cutter is' cutter is thenreturnedto-its starting point as explained above. The movement of the cutter is-` progressively around the vegetable or product-ro# to be removed. The cutting depth of the cutter 21 is made adjustable by the operation of a screw 39 in the yoke 28 which is loosened 0r tightened to suit the position of the wedge 6l which controls the depth of the cut t0 be made in removing the skin or the depth of the cut to be made when making shoe string potatoes. The adjustmentof the wedge varies the-position of a movable guard 43 in relation to the cutting edge 29 of the cutter 21 and controls the depth of the cut to be used during the peeling operation. The cutter'in the form shown has the advantage of removing the skin 0r peel in one continuous strip.

The spike disremovably attached to the trident'ZGandis usedfor soft bodied vegetables or fruits to preventV their breaking during the skinning orlpeelingoperation. The spike is removed when peeling peaches or any product having a hard center.

The frame l0 is also provided with a covering 4| and plate 46 to cover-land protectthe mechanism and prevent thefuser from injury( Thecovering 4| is formed` as indicated to suit-the a-r rangement of the parts and mechanism. frustumatical in contour and can be` sli-ppedlin andoutof position readily and helc-thereinb'jr screws or other attaching means;v The platel is also attached to the gear i1 and rotates with the yoke, it is provided with-markings te show" the depthof thecutto be made 'and'hasaeholef through which the screw l'f'projects' toreceiv'e-`V a knurled pointer head S2.'` 7

While but one-'general form of the inventinis shown in the drawings and described? in the' speci'caticns it is not desired'to limitthis ap-'f plication for patent t0' this particularz ferm-asi it is `appreciated that other forns couldbe made' that would use the same principles and come' within-the scopeof the appended claims:`

Havingthus described the invention, whatis claimed is: l

1. A machinefor'removing the skin of l'v'ege-l tables, fruits andthe like, vcomprising a frame, a

rotatable holder for-`the-article t0be"skir'ined.` said helder havinga central spike and outer flexiev ble lingers to secure the'arti'c-le tethe h0lder,`-a-

rotatable cutter of truncated-cone` shape l"having-Y itsbaseupwardly arranged and its-smaller di# mension downwardly of the base, and also havingits cutting edge at the base; associated-means carried by the frame fer rotatingsaid-#holderTand cutter and including-"a"flywheel,Y rnleansfe-r os" ciilating the cutterlduringits'-rotatieng-sofast periodically engage l the? cutter with the a" tic or Skinning/thereof andv -to discontinue sucht gagement, said last named means includin 'afa' yoke, and-wedge means carried'by Saidfyoke'ifor adjusting the cutter position and varying'the.

a. A machine-asset forthfiniclaim preclude-ig. a guard for the cutter adjustable therecveby- The.following references are of recordinithe" iii-e of-this patent:

emrah: STATES Pamiers c 

